Just to be clear: This report is neither a premature April Fool's joke, nor a gloss alluding to the corona pandemic. Several dead wild boars infected with African swine fever have been found in northern Italy. This contagious viral disease also kills domestic pigs in a short space of time. There is neither a treatment for infected animals nor a vaccination. African swine fever has been recurring in Europe for several years and is every pig farmer's nightmare. A major outbreak could cost Italy's meat industry (salami, Parma ham) billions.

The virus is completely harmless to humans, but they can spread it further by spreading it on clothing, vehicles or via contaminated meat fed to pigs. The Federal Office for Agriculture has therefore already taken measures: for example, it is forbidden to import pork and wild boar meat from the affected areas in Liguria and Piedmont into Switzerland.

Forest trespassing ban in 114 municipalities in Liguria and Piedmont

Why this is important for us mountain bikers: The Italian Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture have banned all recreational activities in the forest in 114 municipalities: Hiking, mushroom picking, mountain biking and more. The measure is valid until mid-July. Bike destinations such as Finale Ligure are not yet affected, but it is only a good 30 kilometers between Albissola Marina, one of the affected municipalities, and Finale. A list of the 114 municipalities can be found at the end of this document.

There is still little to be heard from the bike community in the affected areas. A representative of the tour operator Beigua Insane Tribù said only that the situation was "absurd, but true". Parts of Italy are facing another difficult bike season, with professional providers in particular having a problem. For pig farmers and meat processors, however, the situation is at least as tense.

Is Switzerland in danger?

Switzerland has so far been considered free of African swine fever (unlike Germany, for example). However, the restricted zone in northern Italy ends just 135 kilometers from the Swiss border. If wild boars were to introduce the disease into Switzerland, there could also be forest closures in our country. The spokeswoman for the Federal Office for Agriculture describes the specific procedure as follows: "In a first phase, a restricted area with a radius of 10 to 15 kilometers would be established around the location where the disease was found and the area would be searched intensively for wild boar carcasses for 10 to 30 days. In a second phase, which can last up to two years, regular carcass tests will be carried out. Forest use and hunting restrictions may be imposed to prevent the wild boar from being driven into other areas. In both phases, this may include temporary bans on recreational activities such as walking, horse riding or mountain biking to remain on forest paths or may also include absolute bans on access to the forest."